We get a raft of reports on the labor market this week. This morning it’s the JOLTS — or Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — for December. On Wednesday, it will be the private-sector payrolls, followed by the January Jobs Report from the Labor Department on Friday.

Job creation in December was blockbuster — more than 250,000 jobs added at a time when most economists have been predicting a gradual slowdown, which is indeed what’s expected in the January numbers. 

After unemployment rose in the first half of last year and prospects for job-seekers got worse, there was a big rebound heading into 2025, said Julia Pollak at ZipRecruiter.

“The share of workers who increased their pay with a job switch surged. More new hires say they were recruited actively by an employer. The share who say they negotiated their offers also rose substantially,” said Pollak, referring to the jobsite’s latest survey of new hires.

This matches up with staffing firm Robert Half’s latest survey.

“Worker satisfaction is on the rise,” said Michelle Reisdorf, district president at Robert Half.

Reisdorf said a large majority of employees consider their salary competitive and their workload fair. So, fewer are looking to jump ship.

“About 29% of employees will be looking for work, and that’s down from 35% in 2024,” said Reisdorf.

Part of this shift could reflect workers’ fear of leaving a job and not easily finding a new one. Over the past year, long-term unemployment has been rising.